An Unsimple Love Affair
by Author Name Changed
Summary: Hermione is different. She has grown into a feminine fox, who can play the world on her fingers. She is powerful, brilliant, erotic, loving, caring, plotting, intriguing, intuitive... beware HGLM, HGSS, HGwhomever else she or I might like.
1. Chapter 1

Title: An Unsimple Love Affair

Author: zimagesto

Chapter 1

Hermione had definitely grown. She was no longer the bushy haired, rabbit-toothed eleven year-old girl with no inclinations towards breaking rules that Harry and Ron had first met. They had changed her. They had definitely changed her. And then she had changed herself towards the scary side.

Not that anything was actually wrong. But she had _changed_. Grown from a studious girl into a first-hand woman of power and brilliance. She was 18 now, in her seventh year at Hogwarts, levitated her books around her instead of carrying them, brushed her hair in such a way that it was wavy and not bushy, walked with a cat-like charm and definitely knew how to handle any situation.

She had grown into a Slytherin Lady.

Perfect looks, mischievous smile, feminine laughter, charm, playfulness, and yet with a terrible way of revenge if anybody did her wrong. It was scary, as Ron and Harry noticed.

But it was still Hermione. Still the S.P.E.W. leader, trying her best to help house elves. Still studying her nights through. Still a bit know-it-all-ish, but now she did it with grace. Still screaming at Ron to stop being an ass. Still helping Harry and Ron with their homework if they begged.

So it came as a bit of a shock to everybody when she entered the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast at the arm of one Lucius Malfoy – who was smiling without irony for once.

Draco nearly fainted. Ron actually did. Dumbledore for the first time lost his speech. McGonagall felt her knees going bye-bye. Harry just stared, and stared, and stared…

"Glad to have escorted you, my Lord Malfoy," she said loudly enough for everybody to hear, with a bit of playfulness. "I trust you can find your way to the Headmaster from here."

"Thank you miss Granger," he replied and went to the old man, while she went to her seat and helped revive Ron.

"What on earth are you doing?" Harry hissed between his teeth.

"Trust me on this one," she replied with a wink and slapped Ron again. "Gods, I love doing this."

In the end, Ron recovered and begged her, "You aren't his lov-… girlfriend, are you? I mean, he seems horrible for a first… I mean… fuck, Hermione!"

"I'm not sure he'd be a horrible fuck," she laughed and he went beetroot red and squeaked slightly. "But no, I'm not his lover. Or girlfriend. We talked a few times and he is quite charming. Apparently, he thinks of me the same."

The boys groaned and the other Gryffindors stared.

You see what I mean, dear reader, when I say she had changed?… Well, you're probably a bit confused here and you mumble about the Headmaster and as to why Hermione ended up like this. Simple, in fact. Dumbledore is not dead. Neither is Sirius Black. Just because I decided that this is AU, so why not include them, too, to make the scene a lot more challenging? Anyway, so I'll tell you quickly what happened. No flashy flashbacks about how anybody recalls the past or thinks about what has been or will be. Just the straight truth.

Not much happened after the fourth year. Voldemort plotted, and plotted, tried to get the Prophecy, but he failed and it was destroyed. Harry trashed Dumbledore's office when the old man explained that he'd kept the prophecy hidden. Hermione started developing in the way I just presented above. In her summer before the sixth year, she made it clear to everybody in the Order – and later, everybody who met her, that she was a Woman. She had a few muggle boyfriends who she wasn't fond of. In a slight desperation of finding only unsuitable, immature boys, she started talking to Sirius, who was very understanding, mostly because he didn't have anything better to do than listen and understand and tutor.

Then, one night, she was a bit pissed, Snape was over at Grimmauld Place and she just dropped the rag with which she was polishing her shoes.

"Why are all boys so idiotic, Professor?" she spat. "Anywhere I turn, I only run into idiots."

Now, Snape was pretty surprised by that outburst, since he wasn't the type of a person that others usually confide in. Yes, I know I'm stating the obvious. Anyway, he thought something along the lines of 'children and their problems'. He would have deducted some points from Gryffindor, but he couldn't do it then, so he just spat out a venomous line. To his surprise, she started chuckling.

"Well, I'm sorry," Hermione said. "I shouldn't bother you with my petty little problems. I am simply frustrated in the lack of brains of boys my age. Well… I guess we have that in common, even if for different reasons, no?"

"Girls aren't much better," Snape decided to reply.

"Ah, yes, your dislike is more extensive than mine. But as I said, we have different reasons, and mine doesn't extend to girls. I don't try _dating_ them."

Snape was in a very good mood that night. Otherwise he would have snapped at her again for making conversation. Well, if he had had any illusions about his words hurting her or scaring her away, he would have done it now, too, but it simply wasn't worth it.

"Perhaps you should try men, if boys are of no use," he answered.

"Oh, men…" Hermione said and looked at him, surprised. She'd never thought of it. But then she laughed, realizing why it had never crossed her mind. "They'd laugh at me because I am a girl, not a woman. Besides, who would I go after? Sirius?… _You?_ I doubt you'd want to date…"

"Miss Granger," he growled warningly.

"…a know-it-all who is just as unnerving as all the dunderheads," she finished. "Sorry to be dragging you into this. Care for a tea, Professor? Or a brandy? Or anything else, for that matter?"

"A tea would be fine, Miss Granger," he answered.

It all started from there, in fact. She would talk to him sometimes, answer wit with wit, and next thing they knew, they were friends of sorts. She managed to squeeze a few tips about what he liked in women out of him. It had been a lot easier with Sirius, who'd spurted the list at the moment she asked.

Snape and Sirius stopped fighting in front of her. She hadn't tried to stop them. She'd been in the kitchen, reading up on something, when the insults started and she just upped and left, muttering between teeth about "boys and their troubles". When challenged by a furious Potions Master, she'd just smiled coyly and said something Draco and Harry being the same. Then something very interesting happened.

Snape started walking furiously toward her. And Hermione, instead of losing the coy smile and backing off, stepped further, grinned, pushed her chest forward and asked seductively: "Are you going to hit me, Professor?" He stood there in shock and she planted a friendly kiss on his cheek, then turned away and left, grabbing her book.

"What the hell?…" Sirius muttered, staring in her trail.

"I have as much of a clue as you do, mutt," Severus answered, wiping his face as if trying to erase the echo of the feeling from his cheek. "She must have gone insane. She is taking too much liberty. I have no desire for such silly outbursts."

"That didn't seem to be an outburst," Sirius noticed.

They never fought again in her presence. Instead, her friendly attitude towards both of them made them put aside some of their differences. Not all, she was no miracle worker or Mary Sue, just a mysterious thing that flabbergasted them both enough so they'd have something in common which they could talk about.

Harry and Ron noticed the warmth towards both of them, fought her over the Snape problem, but lost. She declared that they were both "friends of sorts" and refused to be coaxed out of her new friendships. In order to make Severus understand what she had in mind, she offered to help him if he ever had something to do he shouldn't have been bothered with, but was. At first, he protested, saying he was fine by himself and she was an idiot for thinking otherwise. She replied that he probably had better things to do than prepare Pepper Up for Madam Pomfrey, while she was just reading all day and could use a bit of practice with potions on holidays. So he started, reluctantly, giving her things to do and finding that she was holding up to the task admirably.

Well, she went to Hogwarts, kept in touch with Sirius, befriended Severus up to the point where she could go ask something about Potions or the Dark Arts and he would answer at any point of time. It was an odd friendship, but it was one.

And she had quite a few lovers. She switched through them, searching for a something and never finding it. She got a certain flair for flirting and charming, a bit of experience and became not popular, but respected and admired. Even by teachers. McGonagall criticized her at first for her new-found fashion sense, but then Hermione made it clear she felt a lot better like that and that studying was still one of her greatest passions. She also pointed out the fact that she needed to experience a few things and that the old Head of House shouldn't worry much about her. She would not fall. McGonagall sighed, not believing her, but in the end, she had to admit that Hermione was right.

But now – to come right in the Great Hall with Lucius Malfoy! What was she doing?… Ah, I could tell you. But it's a lot better to keep you hanging, while I write the next chapter. I will tell you, though, that she has something in mind… aaah… wizarding world… beware!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: An Unsimple Love Affair

Author: zimagesto (zi ma gesto)

2

Ah, I couldn't let you hanging so, dear friend, I had to return immediately when I saw your curiosity and excitement. So I will tell you more.

Severus Snape considered Hermione a friend of sorts, one of the few he ever had. Of course, he couldn't help being what he was, nor did he want to be something else, so he was still the same general bastard as always. But if she liked him, she liked him like that, so no effort was needed.

He found himself admitting that she was indeed something else. He would have liked to take the new-found Slytherin hearted Gryffindor to bed, if just to see if she delivered as much as she promised. And unlike many other of his variations found in fanfiction, this Severus never tried to fight the feeling, he never was surprised to see himself calling her "Hermione" in his mind and he never went around angstily, wondering about what he was doing. He was quite fine with what he was and what he was feeling, not that he'd actually jump on the witch as he sometimes fantasized of doing. She was a suddenly sexy and foxy woman who smiled at him coyly and he didn't mind that much.

But he was surprised and felt a sharp pain at seeing her come in with Lucius Malfoy. Everybody had been surprised. And before you deduce that he had a crush on her that he hadn't known of himself, I will tell you that the reason for his pain was that he jumped from his chair and hit his leg against the table very hard.

Enough of my comments now.

Severus was surprised and, while massaging his leg, he stared at her going over to the Gryffindor table and reviving Weasley jr.jr. with a few well-placed vicious slaps. Then his attention turned to his fellow Death Eater, who approached Dumbledore with a smirk as superior as ever.

"A word with you, Headmaster," Malfoy said. "In private. Call Severus also."

Dumbledore rose from his chair and Severus followed lead. He didn't know exactly what was happening, but his clear mind went through the things he had observed, drawing conclusions. Hermione came in with him, while nobody else knew of his presence at Hogwarts, smiling and joking as if with an old friend, or a lover. She couldn't be his lover, since Severus and Sirius knew all her romance affairs and Lucius Malfoy was not a name they knew to be in the list. Also, there had been no change of pattern in her stories to hint she had been hiding something. So, she knew about him coming, probably the reason for doing so and she had some kind of a motive to act friendly.

Not much information, but he'd probably find out some more now. Strange, strange girl. He felt a bit disappointed in her lack of telling him what it was all about. Maybe the mutt knew something?

Dumbledore led them through the corridors lighted enough that they didn't seem as cold as stone walls should have been. Lucius kept his lips locked. And Severus waited with a patience he had gathered from many years of a spy. They finally reached the Headmaster's office , went up the stairs and, after ritually refusing the sherbet lemons, the conversation started.

"A month ago," Malfoy started coldly, leaning back in an armchair and folding his elegant fingers, not quite to the point where he'd pop them, but close, "I ran into Mrs. Granger in London. I was with my son and he said a few things of a less than amiable nature. Later that day, I received one of the boldest letters I have received in my life. Short and shocking enough that I should remember it word by word. It said: "Have you no backbone, my Lord Malfoy, that you should not aid your son when running towards ruin? I have seen you watch us. Love bursts from hatred. You must not let him court me so, for if he dares to touch me, I shall wring his limbs apart. Thank you for your time, my Lord." I replied to her. Told her that my son is of age to do whatever he likes and that, undoubtedly, he would never love a mud-… muggle-born witch."

Severus wondered where it was all going. And what was Hermione doing?

"We started a long conversation, sending each other owls every day. And at one point, she sprout out some interesting facts which I didn't know anybody but me and the Dark Lord knew."

Lucius paused, shot a look at Severus and then, shook his head in a noble gesture.

"She said that He did not trust me much anymore. That I was losing my rank, even though for a while, the other Death Eaters would be left to think otherwise. The Dark Lord has found some problems in my serving. Discovered inconsistencies which I tried very hardly to hide. I knew that the Dark Lord was suspecting something. She told me more than even I knew. She suggested, to my good, that I should run away with my family and drill some things into Draco's head so we could all disappear somewhere. Change our easily-recognizable names, pass as muggles. Apparently, she did not know that I had a plan along those lines. But I was surprised of her extensive knowledge of many unknown facts and of her concern. I wrote her these surprises, wondering if I wasn't somehow sending the letter to the Dark Lord himself. She said she had her sources, which she would not divulge. I would have suspected Severus, but I doubt he knows the things she said. And that she thought I and my whole family were bastards, but I seemed to have a good streak and that was worth a slight gesture from her side, which would cost her nothing."

Lucius paused again and, noticing he had started tensing in his armchair and leaning towards the front, relaxed again in the armchair.

"That was two weeks ago. We kept talking. I came to show her my real face, which Severus has seen sometimes and which she had glimpsed before. I love my wife, even if we are reputed as an odd couple. And I love my son also. I taught him what to do and say in order to survive, in order for all of us to survive. I have no great hatred against mudbloos. I simply consider that we purebloods are the nobility of the wizards, that this is our world and they must never forget it. When I joined the Dark Lord, I was young and easily manipulated into his ways. I never managed to escape. I learned how to act in public and such a side struck to me. Though, if I could stop being a Death Eater and finally be free again, it would be much better. There are many of us who think so. Bellatrix Lestrange and some others are fanatics, though."

"Why, aren't you the good, wronged man," Severus sneered. Lucius shot him a dark look.

"I want to escape this madness, Severus. They have hurt MY wife!" he growled. "The Dark Lord gave her to a Death Eater who wanted her as a reward! He also wants to set Draco against Dumbledore, to convince him to make an Unbreakable Vow that he would do it before summer, if he doesn't die of other means. He is threatening my family and me!"

"That's more like it," Severus smirked.

"I want to go away to Germany, where the pureblood lines are much more carefully treated and to become their Minister of Magic," Lucius said. "I will not lie. I want to be the leader of an entire country, and to have the fame and fortune and social respect that come with it. But Hermione pointed out something, which I have known for long. If I disappeared into thin air…"

"You would be searched for," Severus said, his eyes lighting up in understanding.

"I need to find a way that he would not search for me and another way in which to hide. I need somebody to scene our deaths and to change our appearances so we would never be recognized. I also need a new name and proof that I am a pureblood. I will give in return all the information I have about the Dark Lord and remain in debt to you with one favor that you can ask for whenever you need it."

'Brilliant, brilliant witch', Severus thought, not having a doubt as to who proposed the people who should help Lucius quietly and what he should give them in exchange to make up for it.

"I am afraid most of my possessions will be destroyed or taken over by the Ministry or the Dark Lord when this is over, and that I still have need of my money, so I can offer nothing of those."

Dumbledore stared. Severus stared. And then, they looked at each other and reached an agreement: "yes".

_The Daily Prophet, _

_November 1, 1997_

_The Dark Side of the Light_

_Many of us have read, over the years, articles about Harry Potter and his two friends, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. We have been told have united they are as a trio, how brilliant they are, true knights for the light. But are things always as we believe them to be?_

_It was reported last night that Hermione Granger came at the Halloween Feast at Hogwarts accompanied by a man her father's age, laughing and flirting. We can only wonder if the relationship was only the friendly kind, but it did not seem to be so. _

_A Tumultuous Past_

_Sources have told us that, during the past two years, Hermione has taken an innumerable amount of lovers. We all remember than not even before was she completely innocent – as we have shown previously in _the Daily Prophet_, she used to date both Harry Potter and Viktor Krum – the famous Bulgarian seeker -, playing them off against it each other for the fame it would bring. Denied the glamour of her relationship with the Boy Who Lived, she had to resort to "testing out the market" for whomever fell in her path. _

_Ronald Weasley told us, "Maybe I should wait patiently until she tries everybody before me, then I'll have a chance!" Later, he retracted his statement in the face of a threat from Harry Potter, who was very protective of his one-time lover. _

_A Terrible Strike_

_Nobody imagined that Hermione would date a former Death Eater…_

Meanwhile, Hermione was with Sirius, at Number 12, in the living room, along with Harry and Ron. They technically weren't allowed to leave school grounds, but everybody was still at the Halloween Feast, Dumbledore and Snape were busy and, besides, they had somewhat of a "special status" in Hogwarts.

"And then I brought him to Hogwarts and everybody just stared at me. Ron fainted," she laughed.

"It was very dangerous," Sirius said quietly. He still didn't like the fact that she'd talked to Malfoy as simply as that. The man was a murderer, a man in Voldemort's ranks…

"No, it wasn't," she said calmly. "I have very good skills at detecting curses on parchments, and improved them by searching up in the library everything I could. I only met him in front of the castle, where he wouldn't have dared to touch me. If he had dared, I had a portkey on me that led to the Great Hall, where I would be safe with Dumbledore and all the other teachers."

"You did?" Ron asked.

"Of course. I'm pretty paranoid," she replied with a nervous laugh. "You'd go crazy if I told you all my strange plans for escaping all possible and impossible situations. But, listen, now I must go, I think I should tell Severus about this, so he wouldn't be mad at me for saying nothing."

"Severus," Ron muttered-mimicked under his breath and earned a playful slap from Hermione.

"He's my friend… of sorts…umm… yeah, something like that," she said, with a playful thoughtful look on her face, looking up as if thinking. "Listen, I'll be back soon. You two should go back to Hogwarts before somebody realizes you've been gone. It's not a good idea to get caught. I'll be with you soon. Sirius… well, you know where to find me if you need me."

Hermione grabbed some floo powder and went through the fireplace into Severus's office, where she settled down on the chair. The Headmaster's office, Severus's office, the kitchen from Number 12 and Gryffindor Tower had floo access to each other, but needed a password to either go or come from different places into them. If you had no clue there was a password, you either wouldn't be able to exit one of the four locations, or you would be thrown into a random fireplace, which was not fun.

It was a good thing that the Minister of Magic never tried to get to the Headmaster's office via floo.

It was not long after that Severus came in and smirked at her.

"I hate to admit it, Granger, but you were brilliant."

"Why, thank you," she answered and relaxed, smiling. "Nice to hear that once in awhile. Add some points to the Griffies?"

"Never!" Severus replied, acting appalled. "I trust that you remembered to protect yourself carefully against the dangers of such acts."

"Of course."

"What was your secret source?"

"I'll tell you later," she said after a short while of thought. "You, Sirius, Dumbledore, Harry and Ron, maybe even the entire Order, so that I wouldn't have to repeat myself. I tested it on Malfoy and it worked."

He just shrugged and accepted it. There was not much to do to change her mind and she was usually very reasonable, so no need to push.

"I could definitely use something warm inside of me," Hermione said, looking at him as if expecting something.

"Go find one of your pesky little boyfriends then," Snape replied.

"Why? Can't I use you?"

"Ah, but I do not much like being used."

"Please, sir. For me… Make me feel all warm and nice and comfortable, just ready for whatever you'd like to do with me later tonight."

Severus rolled his eyes, then called a house elf.

"Two hot chocolates, large, creamy, with whipped cream, right Granger?"

"You know me too well, Professor," she answered with a sweet smile. "I still cannot believe that you are the hot chocolate type of a man."

"Say that one more time, Granger, and you will find yourself in a very different position, just to prove that my tastes in hot drinks are not something to judge my character by."

"What different position would that be?…"

"I can leave you under the table, begging for help. And I would still be sober at the end, while you would be drunk."

"Indeed, I cannot hold my liquor," she laughed. "I'll stick for the chocolate."

The house elf popped in, left two extra-large cups on the table and left. Severus regarded Hermione over his own cup, considering her. Maybe he should try getting her into bed, after all. But he would come off quite unpleasantly in many situations. Ah, if only he could impose upon her the idea of a simple affair. None of that sweet mushy something that came with relationships.

"I wonder what it would be like, Granger, if you chose an older boyfriend," he said suddenly and she looked at him curiously.

"I thought we agreed I didn't have many choices," she replied. "Unless you or Sirius offer, that is," and she winked humorously.

"Oh, but what if I offer?"

Hermione stared for a few seconds, her mouth going dry. But she still acted her usual self.

"Well, then," she said, reaching forward and leaning her head on her hand in a thoughtful gesture. "I'll have to consider you. See if you suit any of my standards."

"They seem to be pretty low," he smirked.

"Ah, too low indeed," she sighed. "But those that can't understand some of my needs, the things that excite me, that make me feel good… well, they go away before they reach and challenge. You should know that."

"But what _does_ make you feel good?"

"Light touches, especially," she answered. "Or the other side of the scale."

"Roughening it up, Granger? My, my, the perfect princess of Gryffindor…"

"No longer a princess, apparently," Hermione smirked. "But the question is whether you will actually offer, or you're just saying that to torment me a little."

"Torment you? Why would I ever do that?" he asked in a way that was saying he was doing just that.

"Well, I guess you wouldn't. But then again, I see no action, so you are just running around, doing nothing."

"Don't push it Granger, who knows where it will get you?" he said softly.

"Would you even dare to try it, Professor? A student, who could be your daughter and who turned, as you've told her, into a Slytherin fox. It would be a break out of routine if you tried, but what would be the risks? What if anybody found out? What will she react like? Hmmm…"

Hermione officially felt seduced by herself then. Now you wonder, my friend, how believable such a scheme would be. In fact, it would be. They were friends. Even if I haven't told you so, there had been games of sexual innuendo that they both appreciated. And in the end, you sometimes do crazy things on the spur of the moment. I could blame it on the fact that the house elves dropped some strange erotic potions into their hot chocolates, but the truth is that they hadn't. Hermione's a bit of a flirt and she had thought about Severus and Sirius and Harry and Ron and about a million other guys that way, on different levels of seriousness, varying from Neville, which was a hilarious thought , to Severus, who haunted her because of the darkness he had in him and some qualities she assumed about him. Girls like bad guys for a reason and it sure isn't for changing them. I could tell you all about the fantasies she had with him whenever she was in the mood for imagining scenes of a certain type of a physical nature. But I won't, I guess. I think she'd be pissed at me if I told you that she'd fantasized about him finding her one night in the dungeons and pushing her against a cold hard wall and touching her all over, kissing her in a demanding way and making sure she knew that, while he wouldn't get violent, she wouldn't escape him no matter how hard she tried. And then she would succumb to all of his wishes and do whatever odd thing he asked of her, right there in the corridor… or maybe he'd drag her to the bedroom and she'd do them there.

Yeees…

But their conversation was interrupted by a movement in the fireplace. Both of them turned their heads to see Sirius coming through.

"Just wanted to see what things were going like," he said. "Well?"

"Mutt, you've just signed your own death order," Severus growled.

"What did I do?" he asked, surprised.

"Interfered with some very strong sexual innuendos that were becoming a challenge," Hermione answered. "Now what do I do? Just hang around here aroused like this?"

And the odd thing was that she was aroused, even if she said it ironically. And boy, was she scared that she'd pushed it too far. She noticed Severus smirking at her victoriously.

"Don't be proud of yourself, it was my imagination's merit completely," she said, deciding that if you go too far, you shouldn't back out or apologize, but stand victoriously and hell be damned.

"Definitely her merit, Severus, any man can see that," Sirius said with laughter in his eyes. But then it died, as he really considered the idea of Hermione doing anything with the greasy git. "I'd offer to escort you to your tower, mademoiselle, but I'm still a wanted criminal and might be murdered if anybody saw me."

"I'll escort myself at the right time," she replied playfully. "Well, let me answer what you wanted answered. Lucius is happy, we are happy and maybe we'll capture Pettigrew and clear you of all charges."

"Brilliant," Sirius grinned. "Well, then, I'm off…"

And he went to the fireplace, threw in some floo powder and disappeared. On the other side, he wondered if Hermione actually would do something with the old git. Snivellus. Who she seemed to be getting along with greatly, too. He didn't like it much. But then again, she could make her own decisions.

He didn't know that Hermione took her queue to leave then and regretted it later.


End file.
